COLUMBUS, Kan. — The Joplin High School wrestling team won the third-place match at the Columbus Duals on Saturday.
For third place, Joplin defeated Coffeyville 39-27.
Bentonville beat Van Buren 53-21 in the championship dual, while Cassville defeated Columbus 36-34 for fifth and Labette County topped Caney 54-18 for seventh.
Joplin defeated Columbus 48-26 in the first round.
Recording wins by fall for JHS were Toryn Jones (126), Alex Short (138), Johnathen Burke (144), Orion Norris (150) and Johnny Williams (215).
In Round 2, Joplin defeated Caney 58-18.
Most of the matches were decided by forfeits.
Earning wins by fall for Joplin were Burke and Brennen Washington (285). Juan Morales earned a major decision, 11-0, at 165.
Next, Van Buren edged Joplin 39-37.
Jones, Andrew Burke (132) and Josiah Hazlewood (190) all won by fall. Johnathen Burke and Morales earned wins by decision.
Bentonville defeated Joplin 54-21.
Hazlewood, Williams and Washington won by fall and Morales earned a decision.
For third, Joplin beat Coffeyville 39-27.
Jones, Andrew Burke, Short, Norris, Hazlewood and Williams all won their matches by pinning their opponents.
Morales earned a 9-8 decision at 165.
Joplin returns to action on Jan. 3 at McDonald County.
Carl Junction, Carthage and Webb City were among the teams competing at the Harrisonville Christmas Tournament on Saturday.
The Bulldogs finished fourth in the team standings behind Marlow, Mid-Buchanan and Helias Catholic.
Carthage finished ninth in the standings and Webb City was 16th.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction’s Lukas Walker and Sam Melton both finished second in their respective brackets.
At 113 pounds, Walker suffered a loss by fall to Mid-Buchanan’s Spencer Cunningham in the title match. Walker won seven matches by fall to get to the title bout.
Melton was the runner-up at 126 pounds after dropping a 4-3 decision to Harrisonville’s Chris Sullivan.
Melton won three matches by pin and earned two wins by decision.
Three Carl Junction wrestlers won third place matches — Carter Fogleson (106), Marcus Lopez-Durman (150) and Tony Stewart (165).
Also for the Bulldogs, Dexter Merrell placed fourth at 157, Drake Richardson was fifth at 120, Brenden Berry took fifth at 138, Max Matthews placed sixth at 132, Cody Berry was ninth at 190 and Nevan Challenger was 12th at 144.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage had two individual champions at the event.
Bradyn Tate took first at 132 pounds. Tate won six matches by fall. In the title bout, Tate defeated Van Horn’s Dominick Paige 7-1.
Carthage’s Davion King was the champ at 165 pounds.
King earned a 7-0 decision over Marlow’s Zach Dawson in the bracket’s title match. King won four matches by fall.
Also for the Tigers, Tanner Putt took fifth at 106, Esvin Gonazlez placed fifth at 175, Trey Nye was sixth at 157, David Recinos placed sixth at 285, Colt Taylor was seventh at 132, Aydan Nye finished ninth at 126 and Grady Huntley was 11th at 120.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s top finishers were Aiden Moore (138) and Justin Allen (150). Both won seventh-place matches.
Also for the Cardinals, Tyler Pearish placed eighth at 106, Dominic Boles took eighth at 165, Grant Humphrey was 10th at 113, Aidan Rose finished 10th at 157, Carson Farmer was 13th at 144 and Garret Mathis took 13th at 285.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Simon Hartline was the champion at 120 pounds, and teammate Aidan Branch finished fourth at 113.
Joshua Harvey (215) and Porter Reed (285) both finished fifth.
MONETT, Mo. — Girls swim teams from Carl Junction, Joplin and Monett fared well at the Monett Invitational on Saturday at the Monett Area YMCA.
Carl Junction finished second in the team standings with 331 points, while Joplin took third with 265 and Monett was fourth with 248. West Plains captured the team championship with 362 points.
There were 12 full squads in attendance.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction’s Madeleine Garoutte won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:05 and also took second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:18.
Skyler Sundy was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke in 1:04 and she placed third in the 50 freestyle.
The Bulldogs took second in the 200 medley relay, as Sundy, Garoutte, Sophia Holcomb and Elyanna Dogotch recorded a time of 2:02.
Carl Junction also took second in the 200 freestyle relay, as Avari Fifer, Garoutte, Sydney Ward and Dogotch finished in 1:54.
The Bulldogs were third in the 400 freestyle relay, with Sophia Holcomb, Fifer, Kennedy Johnson and Sundy competing.
Sophia Holcomb was third in the 100 fly, while Johnson was fourth in the 200 IM and Dogotch took fourth in the 100 freestyle.
Sophia Holcomb placed fifth in the 500 freestyle, while Abigail Holcomb was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Abigail Holcomb was sixth in the 200 freestyle and Dogotch took sixth in the 50 free.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s Kiki Thom was the runner-up in two events, the 200 IM with a time of 2:23 and the 100 butterfly in 1:10.
The Eagles finished fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Lily Rakes, Taegen Smith, Thom and Megan Walser competing.
Joplin took fifth in the 400 free relay, with Rakes, Allysun Higdon, Walser and Thom swimming.
Brylea Smith placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke and also took fifth in the 100 butterfly.
Also finishing fifth in their individual events were Walser (200 free) and Rakes (100 backstroke).
Mairi Beranek placed sixth in the 100 backstroke, while Brooklyn Hiller and Evelyn Watson finished sixth and seventh in the 100 butterfly.
The Eagles finished eighth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Smith, Higdon, Gwen Zamanzadeh and Lydia Barwick swimming.
“The girls competed well today,” Joplin coach Juliana Hughes said. “The girls have been working hard to refine their strokes in practice to swim multiple events and build their speed. I’ve been proud of their efforts and their accomplishments today.”
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
The Cubs finished fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, fifth in the 200 medley relay and sixth in the 400 free relay.
Monett’s Elizabeth Snarey was fifth in the 200 IM and Grace Lee was sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
Macey Flynt won the 1-meter diving competition.
Monett Invite
Team standings: West Plains 362, Carl Junction 331, Joplin 265, Monett 248, Lebanon 202, New Covenant Academy 171, Waynesville 108, Bolivar 94, Hillcrest 86, Camdenton 65, Greenwood 40, Parkview 32.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — After seeing a double-digit lead slip away in the fourth quarter the night prior, Joplin boys basketball made it a point to finish off the win against Rogers (Arkansas) in the 4-States Challenge hosted by Webb City High School inside the Cardinal Dome on Saturday.
The Eagles entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead and pushed the advantage to 20 points down the stretch en route to the 68-48 win.
Joplin senior Terrance Gibson attacks inside for a bucket against Rogers, Arkansas, in the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
“Last night, at times, we just didn’t have focus on the game and the (situation),” Joplin coach Bronson Schaake said. “We didn’t look at the clock last night, we just kept trying to throw stuff up. I thought tonight we learned, and it was a good bounce-back win.”
With the win, Joplin improved to 5-2. The Eagles travel to Springfield to take on Parkview on Tuesday.
GAME ACTION
After going into the second quarter tied up at 12s, Joplin took the first momentum of the game 90 seconds into the quarter with a 9-0 run, holding the Mounties scoreless for more than four minutes of game action.
“After last night, I didn’t know what our legs would be like,” Schaake said of the defensive effort in the second period. “I am proud of our kids for fighting through fatigue and soreness. We have the potential to be a really good team on both ends of the floor with size and guard play. So, we tell our guys to stay in front and trust that help is going to be behind you. If you do that good things will happen.”
Junior F Whit Hafer started things with two free throws before junior G All Wright knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Eagles a 19-16 lead with 5:50 on the clock. After another Hafer charity make, Wright stole the ball near the top of the key and dribbled coast to coast for a dunk. Senior F Terrance Gibson added three free throws and junior F Hobbs Gooch scored in transition to close the run with the Eagles leading 25-16 with 2:45 to play. Ultimately, Joplin went into the locker room on top, 27-23.
Joplin scored the first three baskets out of the intermission to push the lead to double digits for the first time. Wright had the first two baskets, the second a dunk, with Hafer adding a bucket inside to make the score 33-23 with 6:30 left to play in the period.
Joplin junior All Wright pulls up for a mid-range jumper in the Eagles’ win over Rogers, Arkansas, during the 4-States Challenge on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
“We needed it,” Schaake said about getting the early double-digit cushion in the second half. “It seems like every game has been a four or six-point ball game. It was good to put a team away. It’s good for the growth of our team. We are a young team, but this is what we need to be going through as far as getting us ready for February.”
Wright knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing near the midway mark to push the lead to 13, 42-29, with Joplin taking that same cushion into the final eight minutes of action.
“The ball was moving better and we were getting driving lanes out of it,” Schaake said of the Eagles’ third quarter. “I thought our big kids were sealing well and going up strong in the paint. That’s what we need. It opens up our guards.”
The Eagles scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 3-ball from Wright, to push the lead to 18 points. Wright slammed it home in transition with 4:40 left in regulation and Gooch added a layup on the break for the game’s first 20-point cushion with 2:43 left.
SCORING LEADERS
Wright, who surpassed 1,000 career points last week against Rush in the opening round of the Carthage Invitational, led all scorers with 36 points, hitting at least one 3-pointer in every quarter (two in the first) to finish with five total on the night. Gibson finished with 13 points, including seven makes at the charity stripe. Hafer closed with seven points. Alonzo Porchia led the Mounties with 12 points, while Soren Hoyard and Aidan Chronister each finished with nine.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City remained unbeaten inside the friendly confines of the Cardinal Dome with Saturday’s 64-55 win over Monett in the 4-States Challenge.
The Cardinals are now 4-0 on their home court.
Webb City built an early 19-point lead, but the Cardinals had to hold off Monett’s late rally.
The Cubs trimmed their deficit to four with just over a minute to play, but the Cardinals did more than enough down the stretch to come out victorious.
“It was a different pace of play and it was good for us to be in a situation like that,” Cardinals coach Jason Horn said. “We made enough plays to win and I think we’ll learn from this one.”
Webb City improved to 5-2 on the season.
The Cubs, who won the Seneca Invitational last weekend, fell to 3-4.
Webb City senior guard Joe Adams soars to the hoop for a layup against Monett on Saturday during the 4-States Challenge inside the Cardinal Dome. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Three players scored in double figures for the Cardinals.
Senior guard Joe Adams led the way with 21 points.
Adams made 8-of-14 field goal attempts, including five 3-pointers.
Junior guard Barron Duda added 13 points and senior forward Alex Martin had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore guard Holton Keith contributed nine points and five assists.
The Cardinals made 21-of-47 shot attempts (45 percent), including 8-for-25 from beyond the arc (32 percent).
Webb City out-rebounded Monett 32-22, but the Cardinals turned the ball over 10 times to the Cubs’ four.
Monett made 23-of-55 shots (42 percent) but went just 1-for-9 from 3-point range.
Senior post player Isiah Meeks led the Cubs with 24 points. The 6-foot-6 Meeks made 10-of-21 field goal attempts and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Senior guard Jason Garner added 14 points for the Cubs.
GAME RECAP
Webb City got off to a scorching start, as the hosts put together a 16-0 run in the first period to take a 24-5 advantage.
During the early surge, Adams knocked down three treys, while Duda and Keith each made one 3-pointer.
“Our guards did a good job of penetrating and kicking it out,” Horn said. “Joe Adams was really good for us and we did a good job of finding him. He was catching the ball in rhythm. Alex Martin was doing a good job of finding people on the kickouts. We were able to get a lot of open 3s and we were able to capitalize.”
Down 24-7 at the end of the first quarter, Monett used a 10-3 run in the second period to get back into the game.
After an 11-4 spurt and led by 17 first-half points by Adams, Webb City held a 38-25 halftime advantage.
Webb City’s Eli Pace looks to score inside against the defense of Monett’s Ethan Meeks (15) and Jason Garner (3) during Saturday’s 4-States Challenge. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The third quarter was nearly even, as Webb City outscored Monett 13-12 to take a 51-37 lead into the final frame.
The slow-paced fourth quarter saw Monett outscored Webb City 18-13.
Once up 19, Webb City’s lead was down to four with 1:09 to play at 58-54.
Webb City sophomore guard Eli Pace hit two free throws with 50 seconds left to extend his team’s cushion to six.
Meeks hit 1-of-2 shots at the charity stripe to pull the Cubs within five, but there were only 35 seconds left.
The visitors wouldn’t score again, while Martin and Duda scored late in the contest for the final margin.
“Defensively, we were prepared for (Blaine) Salsman,” Horn said. “He’s a great shooter. We wanted to take him out of the game, and I think we did a great job of that. But we weren’t able to press, and we weren’t able to get into transition like we normally would. But I thought we had a great effort overall defensively.”
This is the seventh year Webb City has hosted the 4-States Challenge. The host Cardinals have won three straight in the event.
12 COURTS OF CHRISTMAS
The Cardinals will return to action on Dec. 29 against Kirksville at the 12 Courts of Christmas event at Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City.
“I’m excited about the 12 Courts of Christmas,” Horn said. “Kirksville is a different opponent for us. They had a really good year last year and they have some guys back from that team. It’s nice to see a different opponent from a different part of the state.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Parkview took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter before using a late scoring run to push the cushion to double digits by the final horn in a 60-50 win over Carthage on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome during the 4-States Challenge hosted by Webb City High School.
Carthage senior Britt Coy scores on a reverse layup in the Tigers’ loss to Parkview in the 4-States Challenge on Saturday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
“Their length and athleticism bothered us,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “But, we’ve said this for six games and we will say them for 20-plus more, we’re going to be undersized every night. So, that can’t be the excuse. We battled their bigs for most of the night. In the most-important moments, we didn’t rebound and they pulled huge offensive rebounds and finished. I feel like we weren’t communicating well and they were ultra communicative the entire game. Those fine details play a huge part in games like that.”
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 3-3 on the season. Carthage is in action next against Hoover (Iowa) in the Hy-Vee Shootout (Dec. 21-22) on Wednesday. The Tigers take on Fort Osage on Thursday.
Carthage trailed 43-42 entering the fourth quarter with the Vikings pushing the lead to six, 60-54, after junior Anthony Nunda sank a 3-pointer and sophomore Dessiah Green made a pair of free throws at the five-minute mark.
The Tigers got a pair of free throws from senior G Max Templeman and two more from sophomore G Trent Yates after a steal to cut the deficit to 50-48.
Carthage senior Max Templeman knifes through the lane for a reverse layup in the TIgers’ loss to Parkview in the 4-States Challenge. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Parkview closed the final three-plus minutes on a 10-2 run to seal the win. Sophomore Elias Govan grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback bucket before Green scored on a baseline drive to make the score 54-48 with 2:52 to play. Green earned a steal, with Govan cleaning up the ensuing transition basket with a putback. Two free throws from Carthage senior G Britt Coy cut the lead to 56-50 with 2:23 to play, but the Vikings closed the game with an alley-oop layup and a transition score from Govan.
“It just comes down to those three or four possessions in the halfcourt offense where we failed to execute tonight or make the big play,” Morris said. “On the flip side, they made big plays tonight. … We started mixing in zone and man to get them sped up and change what they were doing. Credit to (Parkview), they made the right plays. Our kids struggled a little bit (late).”
Parkview had four players finish in double figures, with Green’s 17 points leading the way. Junior TJ Hill finished with 14 points, while Govan had 13 and Nunda 10.
Templeman led Carthage with 15 points, while Coy was right behind with 13. Senior swingman Clay Kinder had 11 points in the loss.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian Cougars turned a 6-4 lead in the first quarter into a 30-8 lead halfway through the second behind a 24-4 stretch and College Heights never trailed during a 53-26 win Saturday afternoon against Liberal in the opening game of the 4-States Challenge at the Cardinal Dome.
“We made some adjustments,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson over the background sounds of Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” between games. “We got some steals off our press, and we got some layups. I don’t think we hit a three all night, but we didn’t have to with the ball on the inside. We came out second half and had a good third quarter.
“They played back-to-back too. They played Lamar last night. You’ve got to learn now because maybe at districts later on, you’ll have back-to-backs. We came out with a lot of energy at both ends.”
College Heights, after Saturday’s impressive win and Friday’s 61-48 win over Diamond, improved to 7-2 overall this season and the Cougars do not return to action until Jan. 3 on the road against Bronaugh.
Six-foot-five senior Curtis Davenport and 6-4 junior Caleb Quade have been a formidable duo on the inside for the Cougars all season, and Saturday proved to be no different.
Davenport and Quade combined for nine points during the Cougars’ decisive 17-0 run that saw the score go from 13-8 to 30-8 in nearly four minutes.
Davenport finished with a game-high 17 points and his seven points in the third helped College Heights enter the fourth with a 48-18 lead.
Quade scored all 12 of his points in the first half with seven of them in the first quarter.
Nine players entered the scoring column Saturday for College Heights — Bo Sitton added eight points, Steven Calandro scored all five of his points in the fourth, Liam Nelson contributed four points and his pressure defense helped produce multiple easy scoring opportunities, the trio of Jayce Walker, Logan Decker and Ben Thomas each added two points, and Noah Hipple netted a free throw for his lone point.
